We've got a litter of 6 puppies who are now 8 days old.  Its the bitches first litter and she has been great so far, and is still feeding them etc no problem.  However, she doesn't seem to be washing them and, despite our constant cleaning, they have got poop on them.  I'm very wary of interfering, but also conscious that poop is a very unhygienic thing to have hanging around.

Should I be cleaning the pups?  Or is there anything I can do to encourage the bitch to clean them?

Thanks :0)

Well they certainly will need cleaning (baby wipes), but to see poo she msut be stimulating them to go, so she is jsut beign slapdash about it?

It seems strange if she has been doing it up to now?  I have never had a bitch reluctant to clean her pups after the first day or so, some always look disgusted but do their duty nevertheless.

My worry is that she is not spending enough time with them as they normally clean them while they feed.  is the rate of weight gain increasing?  have you cut their nails so that nursing is not uncomfortable for her.

Thanks for your reply.  She seems to be snoozing herself when she's nursing, there isn't much cleaning going on, but as you say she is obviously stimulating them to do the necessary. 

To be honest, we have 2 bitches and of the 2 this one isn't as good to clean herself so maybe she takes the same "slapdash" (as you say) way with the puppies.  I will get some wipes and give them a rub down - I wasn't sure if I should interfere or not, and wanted some reassurance either way, but needs must. 

They are gaining weight nicely, 4 of the 6 had doubled their birth weight by yesterday and the other 2 weren't far away.  I'm going to cut their nails today to make it more comfortable for her, I don't know if that is bothering her but it needs to be done anyway. 

I dabbed a bit of honey to encourage Ellie to lick her first puppies. I don't remember having to do it with her 2nd time round, but I might have just been more relaxed generally that she would do the right thing. :-)

I tried the honey trick - she still wasn't interested.

I'm starting to despair generally - she is losing interest in them and their weights the last couple of days haven't been great so we're having to force her into the whelping box and force her to feed them.  I gave them a clean with a clean, damp cloth yesterday so will do that again today.

I just don't know what else I can do short of hand feeding them!?

I put the pups into stacker boxes when mum leaves the whelping box or I'm cleaning the box.  When its time for another feed I lift the pups one at a time to mum and hold them for her to clean. My girl is definitely not as attentive as she was with her first litter.  She will at times give them a sniff and lick while they are feeding but most of the time she just lays there crashed out!! 

This may be breed dependent.  My Spaniels clean their pups scrupulously, but very few of my pug Mum's can be persuaded to wash them at all, or at best only faces!  I have to be handy with the baby wipes, and a least twice each day do a full warm water and cotton wool clean up.  They do often manage to poo quite well without stimulation which is how they can get covered in it, so don't take that as any indication that Mum is being helpful but not managing too well.